Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1887-11-17


il has no very striking pcculiartie-. Its
most prominent feature is a strong feeling
of the greatness OF the Roman Beople. but
with the author this feeling is II vanity
rather than an inspiration and in his
works Is "A means of fiattery rather than Il
means of moral elevation. Thus. while
the historical value of his works cannot he
over estimated. ON account ri the lack Of
other historical documents hearing on the
same events the educational value of the
book is somewha limited.
As an author. Tacitus was much appre-
ciated by his own times and by the next
century, We find emporors claiming
relationship to him. but during the dar,
ages he was not much read AMI his works
-4.Ave com" down To MS only IN n uutilatrd
form The style of these fragments is very
peculiar, il is harsh and obscure. but at the
same time ex .eedingly powerful. Scholars
who are familiar with the author generally
admire not only the moral but also the
literary character which these works reveal.
Writing immediately after thetyrannies Of
Nero and those of subsequent reigns,
which are the subjects of his history, he
aims at painting them in the blacke~t
solors to prevent any subsequent relapse
into them. lie has thus become the typ
ical representative of faninportant depart
mcnt of history, for. unlike either of his
I predesessors, he noted events not simply
because they were interesting or because Of
1 their bearing on subsequent events as
cause and effect but on account Of their
probable or possible results.
| During the middle or dark ages. history
was entirely cclipscd, except anon. th,
I Saracens. ignorance. suprrstit ion aud the
slow circulation ui intelligence. all con
spred to reduce the hist torians to mere
annalists.
The revival of learning commonly known
4
petus to all the arts. but it WAS not until
the resurrection oi classical literature had
| broutht good models to li-ht, and the in
vention of printing had rendered them
generally acer-sablr, that history was
placed upon n footing that soon led up to
the plane ri her former excellence. u WAS
not until the beginning oi the 18th century
that the gifted and chivalrous Raleigh ut
tempted to write the first history Of the
world written by an Engli-l.man. but he,
as all others. found the work too ar,lu"us.
the work produced being n collection of II
few facts mixed with myths and suppos-
itions and by drawing on this inasina
tion for facts and forming his conclusions
aided only by limited experience. he
produced work neith"r reliable nor es-
pecially interesting, but remarkable nn
account of its gigantic conception. tlar"n-
don, his immediate successor. wrote n his
tory of the Rebellion against Charles I. and
being II moderate ruyals although high in
the councils of Charles VI, his work is il
model of ~ partisan history of u very exrit-
ing political period. well written, and with
candor hardly to be- expected when we con
slider he time aud the authors ppsiti"n.
Hume, the first great English historian,
H. remarkable for the smoothness of his
style aud the t-r-rnrsS of his narrative.
but the valu. ri his works ARE niarr'd by
Skepti,ism and pariialiiy to the house oi
stuart.
-Dx..I...il. -,,,:...ta. t.i<ir,: a,:er
written than Gibbons "Drclne aud fall oi
the Roman Empirr." II is the most remark
able example Of dilligeuc. in the accunula-
tion and n,astry in the handla. of enorm
ous matter. his Judgment is almost
infallabl. and his historical pictures are
ns accurate AS they are brilliant. hat his
iusensibiity to the spiritual side of man :
nature interfercs with his ability to apprr-
ci,te the nobler qualities OF the earlier
Christians although alive To- all their ftui's.
Since the eighteenth century history has
more aud more claimed the attention oi
superior minds. English history has been
treated ol by Freeman, Froudeand NacaI.
lay: that of France bv Mirhclet Theirs. t;ui-
20 and La nartle; nj Germany, 10y VI iller.
Rank schiller and iIner'n while the Amer
lean Motley has innort ili2ed himself rs he
historian Of TIA" revolt in Netherlands.
The best history of the Spanish conquest :
In America il by Prescott. and l'ancroft il
the STANDARD historian nf the United
states althoutiI il IL mol probable that h.
will long remain 50.
The spirit aud progress ~ modern times
has nodiii"d the study pf history ia four
principal ways: Isl. hy the resort aS n
main source Of information to archives. in
clu,liug statutes. charters. public dnru-
ments Of all kinds. I:plomatic "nd even
deavor To reconstruct the private as well
as the public life al nations. :'rh. hv th.
appliration of the mvt hical tn 'urv to fab
uious narratives ith. 10y the attempt
to form n philosophy al IA story. in other
words. to discover the .eaeral laws upon
which particular rvcat- depend. VI WIS II
Ion. time irIore it WAS recognized that the
history of every civilized people WIS IN
some way written in its pli,lir ilstituti ions.
aud that the essential principles undrryin
great strugalri, wer. displayed ~ s;lrh man
iicst toes u, the solemn League aud fovru-
ant and our own Declaration uf lndcp..ni
.nrr but being once recognized. the
examination nf all silch records pro
curabe has brea made and is bin.
made with great care and Judgment
The documents thus found ara often
misleadin. and euntradictorv; spna oi
them cxpr,ssiag the w,sli's aud designs
ra Il her than ihf convictions of the writer's.
but 10y careful cnmpar.spn the false has
ben iai .eiv eliminated from the true. and
the remand ~ presents a more correct fi''-
ture of an age than any nl"rr narritiN" of
current events. 80 that no history would
now be cousi lerrd complete or rl'abr
whcrc every pn~-ibi- Use bad moi i'r'a made
of documentary material.
II II bui natural that in It's infancy thu
attrhtinu al history should b. fixed upon
great public event. aud marked '.'c ir''sirrs.